Strap sealing apparatus



Nov 2, 1937. R. H. NORTON STRAP SEALING APPARATUS 5 Sheet=-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1934 New 2, 137. R. H. NORTON STRAP SEALING APPARATUS Filed May 25, 19 34 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 UQQN Nov 2, 1937. NORTON 2 ,097,955

STRAP SEALING APPARATUS Filed May 25, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 AAA Q m Nov 2, 1937. R. H. NORTON STRAP SEALING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F 119d y 25, 1934 v ZZZ/Orion a? w n ANN I'll,

slanted Nov. 2, 1937 STRAP SEALING APPARATUS Ralph H. Norton, Chicago, 111., assignor to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, III., a corporation of Illinois Application May 25, 1934, Serial No. 727,455

13 Claims.

This invention relates to strap sealing apparatus for applying seals to the overlapping ends of metal straps and the like such as are employed in reenforcing boxes and packages and in binding groups of boxes or other load units together. The present invention is an improvement upon the forms of apparatus described and claimed in the co-pending application of William C. Childress, Serial No. 629,728, filed August 22, 1932, and in the application of Squire Julius Johnson Serial No. 698,835, filed November 20, 1933, in each of which there is disclosed a form of apparatus comprising-a movable head having a pair of relatively movable jaws adapted to receive between them an open channel-shaped seal which is then brought into engagement with the overlapping ends of a metal strap by the movement of the head, preliminary to the actuation of the jaws to bend the walls of the seal around the strap and then shear the edges of the strap and seal to form an interlocking joint. In the apparatus disclosed in the said application of William C. Childrcss, the open channel-shaped seals are manually inserted between the jaws, while in the apparatus disclosed in said application of Squire Julius Johnson, the seals are preferably fed to the jaws from a magazine by a manual operation, and the principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of apparatus in which the seals are'automatically fed. to and placed between the jaws or other strap sealing devices during the operation of the apparatus, without any separate manual operation. A further object of the invention is to provide a strap sealing apparatus comprising means for drawing a strap taut with its ends overlapping in combination with sealing 1 devices for applying a seal to the overlapping strap ends and forming an interlocking joint and means actuated during the operation of drawing the strap taut for feeding a seal from a source of supply to the sealing devices in readiness to engage the overlapping strap ends. Another object of the invention is to provide strap sealing apparatus comprising a pair of jaws adapted to receive and hold a channel-shaped seal between them while said jaws are moved bodily to bring the seal into engagement with overlapping strap ends, in combination with a seal-containing magazine and seal feeding means adapted to operate automatically to move the seals endwise from the magazine into a position between the jaws." A

further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of mechanism comprising in one unitary apparatus means for drawing a strap taut around a box or package with the ends overlapping, means for cutting ed the strap from the source of supply, sealing means for applying a channel-shaped seal to the overlapping strap ends and then deforming the seal and strap to form an interlocking joint, and means actuated by the operation of one of said other means for feeding the seals successively to the sealing means during the operation of the apparatus. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which one em bodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of a box or package with the improved sealing apparatus of the invention in position thereon for drawing a strap taut around the package and applying a seal to the overlapping ends thereof;

Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of one form of sealing apparatus embodying the fwtures of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the completed strap joint which is formed by the operation of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig 4 is a perspective view of the open channelshaped seal which is fed from the magazine of the apparatus illustrated in Fig 2 to the sealing jaws of said apparatus and subsequently bent around the strap ends and deformed to provide the interlocking joint shown in Fig 3;

Fig 4 is a vertical transverse section through the seal shown in Fig 4;

Fig. 5 shows a horizontal section through the apparatus taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 shows a detail vertical section taken on the line i6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows a detail vertical section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 shows a vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 shows a vertical section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 5; f

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line B -9 of Fig. 9, showing the construction of the weight which is mounted above the seals in the magazine;

Fig. 10 shows a vertical section taken on the line l0-!B of Fig. 5, illustrating the movable head of the apparatus in its elevated position with a channel-shaped seal between the jaws in readiness for the lowering of the head to bring the seal into a position where it embraces the overlapping strap ends;

Fig. 11 is a partial vertical section similar to that of Fig. 10, showing the relative positions of the parts after the head has'been lowered to position the channel-shaped seal on the overlapping strap ends;

Fig. 12 is a. partial vertical section similar to that of Figs. 10 and 11, showing the relative positions of the parts after the relative movement of the jaws has been efifected to bend the walls of the seal about the overlapping strap ends and to shear the edges of the strap and seal to form the joint illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 13 shows a section on an enlargedscale taken on the line I 3l3 of Fig. 8, illustrating the operation of the seal feeding plunger in moving a seal from the lower end of a magazine into position between the movable jaws of the head;

Fig. 14 shows a horizontal section taken on the line "-44 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 shows a vertical section taken on the line l|5 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 shows an enlarged vertical section of the lower portions of the jaws taken on the line l6-l6 of Fig. 14, illustrating the relative positions of the-parts when the jaws have been fully closed to bend the side walls of the seal beneath the strap ends;

Fig. 17 is an enlarged vertical section through the lower portions of the jaws, similar to that of Fig. 16, but'at a point spaced therefrom, showing the relative positions of the jaws and of the parts of the strap and seal at the points where parts of the strap and seal are sheared and deflected to form an interlocking joint; and

Fig. 18 shows a vertical section taken on the line I8l8 of Fig. 5.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the improved strap sealing apparatus 25, embodying the features of the present invention, is illustrated in position on top of a box 26 which has applied'thereto a pair of steel binding straps 21 which surround the box and which have their overlapping ends united by the use of the apparatus 25, shown in operative position with respect to one of the straps. The ends of each strap 21 are adapted to be engaged by gripping devices embodied in the tool 25 which is operated to draw the strap taut around the box. When the strap has thus been drawn taut, the apparatus is operated to cut off the strap from the source of supply and to place over the overlapping strap ends a channel-shaped metal seal which is fed to the sealing devices from a magazine in which a number of seals are stored. The sealing devices are carried by a movable head and when a seal has been inserted between these devices, the head is moved downwardly to effect the cutting oil of the strap and place the seal in a positionwhere it embraces the strap ends, whereupon the sealing devices are operated to bend the walls of the seal about the strap and then to shear the edges of the strap and seal to form an interlocking joint} of the type described and claimed in the United States Patent No. 1,260,016, dated March 19, 1918, one form of which is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The apparatus of the present invention is particularly adapted to be employed with an improved form of seal 30, shown in Fig. 4, which is described and claimed in the co-pending application of Chester M. MacChesney, Serial No. 727,410, filed May 25, 1934, now issued as Patent Number 2,062,098, dated Nov. 24, 1936.

This seal is in the form of a channel-shaped metal member having a back wall 30 and side walls 30 which diverge from the back wall to their outer edges. This flared arrangement of the side walls of the seal permits it to be applied readily to the overlapping ends of the strap, facilitates the holding of the seal in the sealing apparatus during the operation of applying it to the overlapping strap ends and permits a plurality of similar seals to be stacked in nested relationship with each other so that they may be formed into a bundle for insertion inthe magazine of the sealing apparatus. The back walls 30*- of the seals are preferably provided with centrally located apertures 30 which permit a stack of the seals to be secured together by a wire passing through these aligning apertures.

A relatively soft ductile wire is preferably employed for this purpose and the ends thereof are transversely bent to maintain the series of seals in the form of a bundle. Then, when the bundle of seals has been placed in the magazine of the sealing apparatus, the wire may be pulled out of the aligning apertures to release them for engagement by the seal feeding means which moves them successively into engagement with the sealing device of the movablehead, as more fully described in said application of Chester M. MacChesney. Each seal 30 is formed of metal which is hard and stiff but which has a slight resiliency and suflicient ductility to cause it to retain a permanent set after the walls 30 have been bent around the overlapping ends of the strap.

The seals 30 are preferably formed, as shown in Figs. 4 and 4 with inwardly extending projections 30, each side wall being provided with a single projection located 'midway between the ends thereof and some distance above the lower edge 3|] of the side wall. These projections may be formed by punching the metal inwardly and each projection is adapted to engage a side wall of the next lower seal of the stack when the seals are secured in a bundle for placing in the magazine of a sealing tool. This construction provides a point to point contact between adjacent seals and permits the seals to have a relative rocking motion, thus permitting the stack of seals to be arranged in a straight line for fitting between the parallel side walls of the magazine of the tool. This arrangement overcomes the difficulty which may sometimes be encountered due to variations in the thickness of the metal from which the seals are formed which, if the side walls contact directly with each other over their entire areas, may cause the stack of seals to assume a curved formation from end to end which prevents the stack of seals from being inserted in the magazine. In addition, the point to point contact between adjacent seals reduces the frictional resistance which must be overcome when moving the lowermost seal of the stack from the magazine to a position between the sealing jaws of the tool, as hereinafter described.

After the ends 2! and 2'1 of the strap have been overlapped and while the strap is held taut by the stretching device, the upper end portion 21 of the strap is cut oif from the source of supply and the movable head of the apparatus is operated to position a seal 30 over the overlapping ends of the strap, after which the relatively movable jaws or sealing devices of the head are operated to bend the side walls 30 inwardly beneath the strap ends into positions where they lie substantially parallel to the top or back wall 30 of slightly, as shown. in Fig. 3. The relatively movseal to shear them along transverse lines 3i and i at the same time to deflect the metal of the strap and seal at one side of the line of shear in order to form an interlocking joint. At least one pair of cuts 3i is preferably formed along each edge of the seal and the metal between the pairof cuts is deflected downwardly by the cutting dies to form'angularly disposed tongues or projections 32, as shown in Fig. 3. The edges of these tongues or projections cross the body portions of the strap and seal, thus forming interlocking joints at a plurality of points. In the form of joint shown in Fig. 3, there are two pairs of cuts on each side of the seal.

The sealing apparatus 25 comprises a base plate 33 which is adapted to rest upon the surface of the box or package about which a strap 21 is to be drawn jtaut and sealed. This plate 33 preferably has the irregular contour shown in Fig. 5 and the forward portion thereof is provided with two pairs of relatively movable gripping devices which are adapted to grip the opposite end portions of the strap and to hold them while the strap is being drawn taut. One pair of gripping devices is carried directly by the base plate and for this purpose the forward portion of the plate 33 is provided with an upwardly extending integral block or boss 34 having an overhanging flange 35* adapted to conform to and contact with the curved upper end of a movable gripping dog 35 which is pivotally mounted upon a pin 38 engaging the back wall of this boss, as shown particularly in Fig. 6. This gripping dog is provided on its under side with a serrated gripping surface 35 which is adapted to coact with the upper side of the end portion 21 of the strap 2'? when this strap is seated upon the stationary gripping plate or flange 3? which projects for wardly as an integral part of the base plate 33. This gripping plate or flange has its outer edges beveled downwardly as shown at 3% to facilitate the insertion. of the strap beneath the movable gripping dog 35 which is similarly provided with a tapered portion 35 adapted to cooperate with the beveled surface 31 to form a tapered passage to receive the strap, as shown in Fig. 6. The serrated surface 35 of the gripping dog 35 is offset toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, with respect to a vertical plane passing through the axis of the pivot pin 35, so that when the end 27 of the strap is inserted beneath it, a pull on the strap toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, will tend automatically to increase the gripof the dog 35 upon the strap. When a pullis exerted upon the strap in the opposite direction, the dog 35 tends to release its grip so that the strap will be readily removed from its position over the plate or, flange 3?. The gripping dog 35 is provided between its gripping surface and the pin 36 with an inwardly extending slot 35 adapted to receive the body portion of the strap 27 after the strap has been passed around the box or package. This supply portion of the strap is adapted to be held in this slot 35 by frictional engagement with a ball 38 which is pressed downwardly by a coil spring 35 engaging a recess in the gripping dog 35 and an aligning recess in the overhanging passage of the boss 34. A threaded plug Ml adjustably engages the upper end of this spring, and this plug may be adjusted to vary the compression of the spring which, in addition to maintaining the ball 38 in contact with the supply portion of the strap 2i,

forces the dog 35 downwardly into engagement with the upper end portion of the strap 21 which is seated upon the plate or flange 31.

After the'strap 21 has been inserted beneath the dog 35 and passed around the box or package, the other end portion 27 thereof is placed in position to be gripped by a movable pair of gripping devices comprising a block 44 which is slidably mounted on the front portion of the 'base plate 33 at the end thereof opposite the block 35. This block 54 is secured by cap screws 55 to the end of a bar 46 which is slidably mounted on the base plate for movement parallel to the front edge thereof and parallel to the direction in which the strap is passed around the package. As shown in Figs. 2 and 9, the block 56 comprises an overhanging portion 53 which is curved to conform to the curvature of the upper end of the contacting gripping dog 31, pivotally mounted upon a pin 38 secured in the rear wall of the block. The gripping dog 51 is provided on its under side with a serrated gripping surface 51 which is adapted to coact with the upper side of the end portion 21' of the strap when the strap is seated upon the gripping plate or flange 59 formed integrally with and projecting forwardly from the lower part of the block 55. The gripping dog 4? is inclined so that the gripping surface 41 is offset toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2-, with respect to a vertical plane through the axis of the pin 58, so that a pull upon the strap 21 toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, tends to increase the grip of the dog d! upon the strap, while a pull upon the strap in the opposite direction serves to effect the automatic release of the strap from V the gripping dog. This gripping dog ll is moved into engagement with the strap by a coil spring 53 which engages a passage 5| formed in the overhanging portion of the block (it, with one end thereof engaging the inclined upper surface of the gripping dog and with the other end thereof engaging a plug 52 which threadedly engages the passage 5! to permit adjustment of the compression of the spring.

The bar 55, to which the block M is attached by the studs 35, is mounted to slide in a groove 56 which is-formed in the upper side of the base plate 33, as shown particularly in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 18, and it is held against upward movement by a bracket or frame 57 and a block 58, both of which are secured to the base plate 33 byscrews 55 passing upwardly thercthrough, so that they bridge the groove 55 in spaced relation toeach other. The bracket 5? extends upwardly from the base plate and supports the seal storage magazine and the seal feeding mechanism hereinafter described. The extremity of the bar 55, opposite the block M, is reversely bent, as shown in Fig. 18, to overlie the end of a lever 65 which is pivotally secured to the end of the bar by a pin 6!. The'lever 60 extends rearwardly over the base plate 33, as shown in Fig. 5 and has an intermediof the block 45 toward the block 35 for the purpose of drawing the strap 21 taut around the box or package. The lever 50 is reenforced on its upper side by a bar 55* which has the forward portion thereof bent upwardly to overlie the rear end of the link 83 and engage the pin 62, as shown in Fig. 10, and the rear end of the lever 88 is reversely bent to form a part 68 which extends parallel to the body portion thereof and which is adapted to receive beneath it the rear flattened end 65"- of a link' 65. This link is pivotally connected to the lever 88 by a pin 68 which passes vertically through the body portion of the lever, through the reenforcing bar 88 and through the reversely bent portion 88. These parts are embraced and held against upward movement by a yoke 61 which is secured to the base plate 33 by screws 88 extending upwardly through the plate, as shown in Figs. and 10. The forward end of the link 85 has a flange 65' lying in a vertical plane, which engages the slot 88' formed in a crank arm 68 which is constructed integrally with the hub M of an operating lever 18 adapted to be manually manipulated to effect the stretching of the strap by causing the block 44 to move toward the block 34. The flange 85 of the link 65 is pivotally connected to the crank arm 68 by a pin H, and the hub 18 of the operating lever is secured by a transverse pin 12 upon a shaft 13 which'is journaled in bushings 14 mounted in apertures formed in upwardly extending arms or posts 15 secured to or formed integrally with the base plate 33, as shown particularly in Fig. 5. A washer 16 of leather or other friction material is secured to the side of one of the posts 15 to bear against the hub 18 of the lever or handle I8, and a coil spring 11 is mountedon the shaft 13 to bear at one end against a collar 18 fixed on the shaft and at the other end against the washer 14 which seats against the bushing 14 adjacent to the hub 18, and thus hold the shaft 13 in its bearings while maintaining the hub 18 in fric-' tional contact with the leather washer 16. This construction is adapted to hold the lever 18 in any desired adjusted position, thus maintaining a'corresponding fixed spaced relation of the blocks 34 and 44 while the strap is being applied to the gripping devices. Upon movement of the lever 18 to the rear, that is, toward the left as viewed in Fig. 10, the rear end of the lever 68 is moved in a forward direction and the forward portion of this lever swings outwardly about the pin 62 until the lever occupies the position shown by the dotted lines 88 in Fig. 5. This movement of the lever causes the bar 46 to slide on the base plate with a corresponding movement of the block 44 with respect to the block 34. An important advantage of this construction is that the operation of the lever 18 produces a rapid relative movement of the blocks 34 and 44 during the early part of the stretching operation when the strap is comparatively slack, while the rapidity of motion decreases and the force exerted upon the strap increases as the final stages of the stretching operation are approached, thus making it possible to draw a strap taut in a single operation of the lever 18.

The sealing of the overlapping ends of the strap, by the application thereto of a seal 38, is effected by a movable head 88 comprising a pair of side plates 8| which are pivotally mounted on a shaft 82 fixed in the lower part of the posts 15, as shown in Figs. 8, and 12. The plates 8| are notched on their upper sides, as shown at 8|, to receive the shaft 13 when the head 88 is in its uppermost position, and these plates are adapted to receive between them a pair of jaw members 83 which are pivotally mounted upon pins 84 secured in the plates. Each jaw member 83 is provided on its inner side with a curved surface 83 concentric with its pivotal axis, as shown in Figs. 12 and 16, and'adapted to move in proximity to the curved surface on the other jaw member. Between these curved surfaces, below the line of their nearest proximity, there is mounted a seal supporting member or saddle 85 which is substantially triangular in cross-section, having curved surfaces 85 whichare adapted to coact with the curved surfaces 83 of the jaw members. This saddle 85 is provided at each end with an integral projecting trunnion 85', shown in Figs. 10 and 13, and these trunnions engage apertures in the side plates 8| to support the saddle in position between the jaw members which are thus capable'of relative movement without disturbing the position of the saddle. The lower portions of the jaw members 83 are provided with inwardly projecting hooks or jaws 83 having notches 83 therein to receive the lower portions of the side walls 38 of the seal 38 when this seal is in position between them, as shown in Fig. 10. The lower walls or shoulders 83' of these notches engage the extreme edges 38 of the seal and thus hold the seal in place in position to straddle the overlapping ends of the strap 21 when the head 88 is lowered from its normal upper position, shown in Fig. 10, to its lower position, shown in Fig. 11. The jaw members 83 are undercut above the jaws 83 as shown at 83 and they are further provided with slots 83, located in vertical planes, which extend inwardly from the lower edges through the jaws 83 and through the curved surfaces 85 These slots 83 are engaged by cutting dies 81 which are in the form of fiat plates fitting in the slots and having cutting edges 8l which project beyond the margins of the recesses 83 in the jaws and which are flush with the curved surfaces 83 of the jaws at their inner ends, as shown in Fig. 17. These "die plates 81 are engaged by the pivot pins 84 about which the jaws move and also by pins or rivets 88 which pass transversely through the "jaws and the die plates, thus holding the die plates rigidly in position in the slots of the jaws. When a seal 38 is initially placed between the jaws, it occupies the position shown in Fig. 10, with the edges 38 of the side walls of the seal engaging the notches 83 in the opposite faces of the jaws. The head'88 is then lowered until the seal 38 straddles the overlapping ends of the strap 21, as shown in Fig. 11. The next operation is to effect a relative movement of the jaws 83 about their pivot pins 84 with the result that the side walls of the seal are bent inwardly, as shown in Fig. 16, to underlie the overlapping strap ends and, preferably, to overlap each other. During this relative movement of the jaws 83, the edges of the strap and seal are sheared transversely by the action of the dies 81 and portions of the metal are deflected, as shown in Fig. 17, with the result that a joint is formed having the interlocking shoulders shownin Fig. 3, where the parts 32 are the projections which have been deflected laterally by'the edges of the cutting dies.

The jaw members have arms 83* which extend upwardly from the pivot pins 84 and which are pivotally connected at their upper ends by pins 88 with links 98 mounted to engage slots formed in the upper ends of these arms. The links 98 are pivotally connected by pins 9| with opposite sides of the hub portion 9'2 of an operating lever 92 which is pivotally mounted on apin 93 carried by the side plates 8| of the head. The turnaoevgeas ing of the lever 92 about the pin 53 is adapted to spread the links 96 and the arms 83 of the jaw members so that the jaws 83 of these members are moved inwardly toward each other to efiect the operations upon the seal Eliwhich have previously been described. When the head Bil is in its uppermost position, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10, theelongated hub 92 of the operating lever is positioned endwise between the arms 83 of the jaw members and a projection 92* on the hub engages a spacer bar 95 which extends between the side plates ill, thus limiting further movement of the lever 92 toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 10; The jaw member 83 which is nearest the pivotal axis 82 of..the head 86 is connected to the pin 82 by a pair of links 95 and iii. Thelink 95 is pivotally connected to the jaw member by a pin 58 and is pivotally connected at its other end l'ii to the link at by means of a pin 35. The lower end of the link 91 is pivoted on the pin 82 which has sleeves ltd mounted thereon for spacing the link midway between the side plates 3i The link 95 projects into a slot ill formed in the link QI and this end of the link 95 is rounded on the lower corner thereof, as shown at 96, to permit relative angular movement of the two links in an upward direction, as shown in Fig. 12, while preventing relative angular movement in the opposite direction beyond a point where the two links are in substantial alignment with each other, as shown in Fig.10, due to the engagement of the angular upper corner of the link 36 with the end wall of the slot 97 When the two links 96 and iii are thus in alignment, the axis of the pin 99 is located below or to the right of a plane containing the axes of the pins 82 and 98 so that the two links thus act as a toggle connection between the jaw members 83 and the pivotal axis -of the head 35, thereby preventing relative movement of the jaw members while the links occupy this position. This toggle connection permits the head 80 to be moved downwardly by the operat ing lever 92 without relative movement of the jaw members 83 and with this lever in the position shown in Fig. 10, until the seal 30 held between the jaws 83 has been passed over the overlappingstrap ends. 'At this point in the opera tion, a stop member llll, threadedly engaging the link 91, abuts against the base plate 33 with the result that the link 91 is held against further movement and the toggle connection isthen broken upon continued downward movement of the head 85. This allows the lever 92 to move in a forward direction about its pivot 33, thereby separating the arms 83 of the jaw members 83 and causing the lower parts of the jaw members to close upon the strap and seal to efiect the bending of the arms of the seal about the overlapping strap ends and then the shearing of the edges of the strap and seal. The stop member IEII has a slot at its upper end for engagement by a screw driver and it may be adjusted to cause the jaws to close at the desired point during the movement of the head 80. A nut )2 serves to secure the stop member It! in adjusted position. 7

In order to permit. the lower portions 83 of the jaw members to engage the side walls of the seal '35 with resilient pressure when the seal 30 is inserted between the jaw members with the head all in the elevated position shown in Figs. 8 and 10, one of the links 96 is provided with an elongated slot 95 for engagement by the pin 89 which connects that link with the adjacent jaw member, as shown in Fig. 12, thus allowing a limited pivotal movement of this jaw member with respect to the connected link 90. The jaw member 83, which is connected to the slotted link 90, is provided with a tubular passage IM in which is slidably mounted a pin I03 having an enlarged head located in the larger portion Hi l of the passage and having a stem. which projects from the jaw member to engage the inner face of the other jaw member. The head of the pin I03 is engaged by a coil spring I85 located in the enlarged portion lil i of the passage and held in position therein by a threaded plug I06 which is removably mounted in the upper end of the passage, as shown in Fig. 10. The compression of the spring movement of the plug I05 in order to cause the pin I03 to engage the other jaw member with the desired pressure. It will be seen that this construction causes relative movement toward each other of the lower portions 83 of the jaw members by the action of the spring I05 within the limits permitted by the elongated slot 90 so that when a seal 30 is inserted between the jaw members, the flaring side walls 30* thereof are engaged with resilient pressure by the walls of the recesses 83 of the jaw members. The seal is thus firmly held while the head 80 is being lowered to bring the seal into engagement with the overlapping strap ends.

The flange 31 of the base plate 33 extends transversely of the base plate for a considerable distance, as. shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and it underlies the forward portion of the block 58 which is secured upon the base plate as previously described. The base plate has another forwardly projecting flange it! which extends outwardly parallel to the flange 31 and spaced therefrom so that an inwardly projecting notch or opening I08 is formed between these flanges in registry with the path of movement of the jaws 83 as the head 80 is lowered, thus permitting the jaw members to be closed about the seal and strap in this opening IllBwhile the strap is supported on the adjacent flanges 31 and I01. The flange I01 is beveled on its upper side at its forward end as shown at IU'I to correspond with the bevel on the forward edge of the flange 31, to permit the convenient insertion of the strap. At the commencement of the operation of applying a strap 21 around a box or package, the free end 22! of the strap is first inserted between the gripping dog 35 and the flange 31 with the extremity of the strap projecting across the opening I08 and resting upon the flange I01, as shown in Fig. 2. The strap is then passed around the box or package and the portion 21 thereof, which is connected to the source of supply, is passed beneath the gripping dog ti so that it is held against the flange d9 carried by the movableblock M. After being passed beneath the gripping dog M, the supply portion 21 of the strap is placed in position over the extremity of the free end 2? of the strap on the flange I01, as shown in Fig. 2, and beneath the forward end of the overlying portion of the bracket 51 by which the seal storage and feeding mechanism are carried. The strap is then inclined upwardly toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, and passed over a stationary cutting die H0, from which point the supply portion of the strap is carried over the flange 31 of the base plate and caused to occupy the slot 35 in the gripping dog 35. The stationary cutting die H8 has the form shown particularly in Fig. 10, being provided with two oppositely extending blades H0 each of which has a cutting edge HII At its middle point, the die has an upwardly extending lug III) which is apertured for engagement by a bolt III by which it is secured to the flange 58 formed on the block 58. When thus secured in place by the bolt III, the lower edge of the die H0 rests upon the upper surface of the base plate so that angular movement thereof is prevented. The under portions of the blades of the cutting die III! are inclined upwardly as shown at Ho in Fig. 10 to facilitate the insertion beneath the cutting blade of the free end portion 2'! of the strap.

The stationary cutting die I I9 is adapted to cooperate with a cutting blade II 2 detachably mounted upon a shearing lever II3 which is pivotally supported on the bolt I II and which is pivotally connected with one end of a link H4 having its other end pivotally connected to a pin H4 stationarily mounted upon the adjacent side plate 8| of the head... The pin II 4 which connects the lever H3 with the link H4 has a coil .spring H9 connected thereto and this spring is attached at its other end to a stationary pin H9 carried by the base plate. This spring H9 tends normally to rock the shearing lever H3 about its pivot III in a direction to elevate the cutting blade H2. The action of this spring H9 tends also to elevate the head 80 about the pin 82 since it tends to move the pin I I l toward the pin I I 9, as viewed in Fig. 10, and the extent of this movement is limited by the engagement of one of the side plates 8| of the head with a flange I09 formed on an adjustable stop arm I99 which is pivoted on one of the bushings 14 carried by the shaft 13, as shown in Figs. 5, 10 and 12. This stop arm is provided at its lower end with a horizontal flange I69 which rests upon the head of a screw I09 adjustably engaging the base, being held in engagement with that screw by another screw I09 which passes through the flange and enters a threaded aperture in the base. As the head 80 is lowered by a forward pressure on the lever 92, the first eflect of the downward movement of the head is to lower the shearing lever H3 against the action of the spring H9 until the shearing blade finally engages the upper supply portion of the strap 2'! and shears it oif by cooperating with the underlying cutting die H0. Immediately after the strap is cut off from the source of supply by the action of the blades H0 and H2, the seal30 carried between the jaws 83 engages the upper end portion of the strap which has just been cut off from the source of supply and forces it downwardly against the underlying end portion 21 As soon as this has occurred, the previously adjusted stop member I01 engages the base plate 33 to break the toggle connection formed by the links 96 and 91 so that these links thenmove upwardly, as viewed in Figs. 10 and 12, and the lever 92 is then permitted to move forwardly about its pivot 93 with the result that the upper arms 83 of the jaws are separated and the lower parts 83 of these jaws bend the walls 39 of the seal inwardly beneath the overlapping strap ends, causing themto assume the relationship shown in Figs. 12 and 16. Then, upon further movement of the lever 92, and a consequent further movement of the laws, the edges of the strap and seal are sheared to form an interlocking joint, as shown in Fig. 17. When this operation of forming the joint is completed, the lever92 .is moved toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 12,

thereby releasing the lower parts of the jaws from engagement with the strap and seal and then effecting the elevation of the head 80 and of the shearing lever I I3 until these parts assume their normal upper position shown in Fig. 10, in which positions the parts are held by the spring H9. The operator then reverses the motion of the stretching lever 10 with the result that the block 44 is moved toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 5, thereby releasing the sealed strap from the grip of the dog 41. The tool may then be moved toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, and away from the strap to release the strap from the dog 35. As this is done, the flanges 31 and ID! are withdrawn from their positions beneath the strap and the strap is then permitted to snap downwardly in contact with the top surface of the box or package.

When the lever 92 is elevated with the head 80, it should be turned angularly until it is restored to the position shown in Fig. 10, thus separating the portions 83 of the jaws to the maximum extent for the reception of a new channelshaped seal, and to insure this result, a coil spring I24 is mounted on the enlarged portion 93 of the pivot pin 93, between the head 93' of the pin and the adjacent side plate 8|, as shown in Figs. 2 and 10, and the ends of this spring are fixed to cause theturning of the pin 93 and the lever 92 by the spring when the lever is released by the hand of the operator. For this purpose, one end I24 of the spring bears against the pin II which connects the link H4 with the adjacent side plate BI, and the other end I24 of the spring is secured to a pin I24 fixed on the lever 92, so that the spring is coiled and put under greater tension by the turning of the lever 92 from the position shown in Fig. 10.

The seal storing and feeding mechanism which introduces the seals 39 into the space between zine seats in a groove 51 in the flange, as shownin Fig. 5. This magazine occupies an inclined position at right angles to the inclination of the head 80 when the head is in its uppermost position, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10, and the magazine is provided along its front face with a longitudinal slot H5 through which access may be had to the stack of seals in the magazine. The flanges I I5 at the sides of the slot engage the end' portions of those side walls of the seals which are directed toward the front of the apparatus and retain the seals in place in the channel of the magazine. The lower end of the magazine rests upon a guide plate II! which is secured to the flange 51 of the bracket by means of a rivet H8, the guide plate having flanges H1 which extend downwardly at the sides of the bracket, as shown in Fig. 13. The lowermost seal 30 of the stack of seals in the magazine rests upon this guide plate Ill and is adapted to be moved over it as it is pushed endwise into the space between the portions 83 of the jaw mem-- bers. The edges 30 of the side walls of the seal 30 rest upon the guide plate HI during this movement and the seal moves through an openmagazine, as shown in Fig. 13.

ing III5 which is formed in the side wall of the magazine adjacent to the side of the head 80, as shown in Fig. 13. The movement of a seal 30 through the opening II5 is eifected by the movement of a reciprocating plunger or feeding member I20 which is adapted to move through an opening 5 in the other side wall of the magazine and to slide in a groove II'I formed in the guide plate Ill. The plunger I20 is essentially cylindrical in form but the portion which passes through the magazine H5 is provided on opposite sides with upwardly converging fiat surfaces I20 which make substantially the same angle with each other as the opposite side walls 30* of one of the seals 30, as shown particularly in Fig. 15. The groove II'I in the guide plate conforms to the curvature of the lower side of the plunger and the forward end of the plunger is provided at its upper edge, between the flat surfaces I20, with a forward projection or tooth I20 which is adapted to project above the top wall 30* of the lowermost seal of the stack when the seal is being moved from the I The distance between the fiat surface I20 is less than the space between the side walls 30 of the seal so that the'seal is moved over the guide plate III entirely by the engagement of the end of the plunger with the edge of the top wall 30 of the seal. The forward motion of the plunger moves the seal through the aperture I I5 in the side wall of the magazine, as shown in Fig. 13, into a position between the portions 83 of the jaw members so that the'edges 30 of the side walls of the seal enter the recesses 83 of the jaw members and the seal is then held firmly in place between the jaws with the back wall thereof resting against the saddle 85. During this operation, the tooth I20 on the plunger extends over the edge of the top wall of the seal and maintains it in engagement with the guide plate and at the same time this projection assists in separating the lowermost seal of the stack from the next seal above it. Owing to the point to point contact between adjacent seals, provided by the projections 30 on the side walls of the seals, the frictional resistance which must be overcome in moving the seals from the magazine is comparatively slight. The spring I24 operates to effect a complete separation of the portions 83 of the jaws when the head 00 is in its upper position so that these jaw members are in readiness to receive the seal when the space between these portions of the jaw members is in alignment with the aperture II5 in the side wall of the magazine. In order to insure the location of the jaw members in a position in which they will register properly with the lowermofit seal in the magazine when the head 80 is in its uppermost position, the stop arm I09 may be adjusted by manipulating the screws I03 and I03 When a seal has been inserted between the jaws by the actuation of the plunger, the parts are then in readiness for the operation of moving the head 80 downwardly by manipulation of the lever 92 with the result that the initial movement of the head 30 causes the seal 30 to be loweredto a position where it embraces the overlapping strap ends, after which the relative movement of the jaw members 83 within the head bends the side walls of the seal about the strap and then shears the edges of the strap and seal.

The plunger or feeding member I20 is mounted to slide in a guideway I2I formed in a cylindrical guide member l2I formed as a par t of the bracket 51, as shown in Fig. 9. The plunger I20 is adapted to be actuated by a lever I23 provided at its rear end with a slot I23 engaged by a pivot pin I24 extending between two ears 5'I formed on the bracket 51. The forward end of the lever I23 enters a slot I20 formed in the plunger and is pivotally connected to the plunger by a pin I25, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 9. The forward end of the lever I23 engages a slot I2 I in the end of the guide member Ill and the lever is adapted to coact with the shoulder I2I-- at the end of'this slot to limit the seal feeding movement of the plunger which is sufficient to position the seal properly between the jaws. In addition, the outer side plate BI has a lug or stop Ill which projects into the path of the seal to position it between the jaws as shown in Fig. 13. The outer end of the channel I2I in the guide member is closed by a screw threaded plug I26 which is secured in place by a spring clip I21 engaging an annular groove in the guide member and having an arm I21 extending transversely through a hole in the guide member to engage the end of the plug. This plug limits the outward movement of the plunger I20 away from the head 30. The plunger I20 is normally withdrawn to its outer position, shown in Figs. 2 and 5, wherein its outer end lies in close proximity to the plug I26, by means of a. spring actuated pin I28 which is mounted ina tubular bore I29 formed in the bracket 5'! with the end of the pin enga ing the inner vertical face of the lever I23, as shown in Fig. 5. The pin I28 has an enlarged head I20 which is slidably mounted in the enlarged portion I23 of the bore formed in the bracket and a coil spring I30 is mounted between the head of the pin and a plug I3I which threadedly engages the inner end of the bore so that the pin I28 engages the lever I23 with a resilient pressure which is adapted to withdraw the plunger I20 after it has been moved toward the left, as viewed in Figs. 2, 5 and 13, to feed a seal to a position between the jaws. The seal feeding movement of the plunger I20 is adapted to be effected by the movement of the sliding bar 40 during the operation of drawing the strap taut around the package so that when the strap has been drawn taut with its ends overlapping, a, seal will have been placed in position between the jaw members 83 in readiness for the lowering of the head 80 to cut off the supply portion of the strap and to apply the seal to the overlapping strap ends. For this purpose, a. socket member I35 is secured to the block 44 by the screws 45 which also serve to secure the block to the sliding bar 06, as shown in Fig. 9. This socket member has an upwardly extending cylindrical portion provided with a bore I35 extending upwardly from the lower end thereof and occupied by an actuating member I30 having a head I36 which projects through an opening I35 inthe upper end of the socket member to coact with the lever I23 by which the plunger I20 is moved. The actuating member I36 has a col- 1ar- I36 which slides within the bore I35 and a coil spring I3! is interposed between this collar and a plug I38 which threadedly engages the lower end of the bore I35. Theplug I38 is apertured and is slidably engaged by the stem of the actuating member. The head I36 of the actuating member has a rounded point adapted to contact with the lever I23. When the lever I23 is being actuated to move the plunger I20 to feed a seal, the tapered head I36 of the actuating member coacts with the'inclined surface I23 formed on the side of the lever I 23, as shown in Fig. 7 and 9, and, in case the operation of stretching the strap requires a greater movement of the sliding bar 46 than is necessary to feed the seal '30 to a position between the jaws, the stopping of the plunger I20 by the engagement of the lever I23 with the shoulder I 2I on the guide member will prevent further movement of the lever I 23 and the continued motion of the bar 46 will then cause the tapered head on the actuating member I36 to ride downwardly on the inclined surface I23 of the leveruntil the actuating member is permitted to snap beneath and pass the lever I23. Then, when the stretching of thestrap has been completed, and the bar 46 returns to its normal position, the head of the actuating member I36 will engage the inclined surface I23 on the under side of the lever I23 and pass beneath the lever I23 as the block 44 is restored to its normal position. The surface I23 has a lesser inclination to the horizontal than the surface I 23"- on the lever I23 so that while the engagement of the actuating member with the surface I23 is adapt-' ed to effect movement of the lever I23 up to the point where a predetermined resistance is encountered, the slope of the surface I 23 is such that the actuating member will be wedged downwardly by this surface and passed beneath the lever merely by the normal return motion of the bar 46. a

Each time that the lever I0 is operated to draw a strap taut around a package, the lever I23 is simultaneously operated by the action of the bar 46 to cause a seal to be projected from the bottom of the magazine II5 into the space between the portions 83 of the jaw members. Then, when the stretching operation has been completed, the parts are in readiness for the downward movement of the head ,80 which is efiectedby imparting motion thereto through the lever 92 with the result that the supply portion of the strap is cut oil? from the source of supply by the action of the shearing lever I I3 and the jaws are lowered until the seal 30 between them is positioned over the overlapping strap ends. Then, the forward motion of the lever 92 bends the walls of the seal beneath the strap and forms an interlocking joint by the shearing action of the dies 81 mounted in the jaws. Successive operations of this character may be repeated very rapidly with successive seals being fed from the bottom of the stack of seals in the magazine into position between the jaws as the head 80 returns to its upper position. The guide plate II'I over which the lower seal in the stack slides is positioned at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the magazine so that both edges of the lowermost seal normally rest upon this guide plate and the back wall of the seal is in a position to be engaged by the end of the feeding member when this member is actuated. The projection I20 projects beneath the back wall of the next upper seal and the plunger engages-the lowermost seal only so that only one seal is fed at a time from the magazine to the jaws. The magazine is open at its upper end so that a stack of seals may be conveniently placed therein and these seals are preferably bound together in a bundle by means of a wire passing through the apertures 30 in the back walls of the seals, as described and claimed in said co-pending application of Chester M. MacChesney, Serial No. 727,410, filed May 25, 1934, now

issued as Patent Number 2,062,098, dated Nov.

seal in contact with the guide plate II'I, so that the lowermost seal only will be properly engaged by the plunger I20, a weight I40 is placed in the magazine II5 to rest upon the top seal of the stack; as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 9. This weight is adapted to move downwardly by gravity as the seals are removed from the bottom of the stack and it is retained against accidental upward movement by means of a latch member I4I- which is pivotally mounted in a slot I 40 by a pin I42. A coil spring I43 seated in a recess I40 formed in the weight presses the latch member I4I downwardly so that the end I M thereof bears against the side wall of the magazine in a position which is inclined slightly in an upward direction, as shown in Fig. 9, so that any tendency of the weight to move upwardly is resisted by the increased pressure of the end of the latch member on the side of the magazine. The end I4I of the latch member is curved so that it does not interfere with the downward movement of the weight as the seals are consumed. When it is desired to place a new stack 'of seals in the magazine, the weight I 40 may be released by taking hold of the handle I44 which projects outwardly from the latch member through a hole I40 which is formed in the side of the slot I40 The latch member may then be turned in an upward direction against the compression of the spring- I 43 until it is released entirely from engagement with the side wall of the magazine, thus permitting the weight to be freely removed. It will be observed that the seal storage and feeding means of the present invention is constructed as a unitary apparatus carried chiefly by the bracket 51 so that it may be readily removed for replacement or repair or applied to sealing tools of the form shown in said application of William C. Childress which were not originally equipped with such seal storage and feeding means.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments, within the scope 'of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, a head movable transversely to said strap ends and having a pair of relatively movable jaws, a seal magazine mounted at the side of said head, a plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said head for feeding a seal from said magazine to a position between said jaws, stretching means for drawing said strap taut around a package, means actuated by said stretching means for operating said plunger, and means for permitting continued operation of said stretching means after a predetermined movement of said plunger.

2. The combination .in a strap sealing apparatus of a base plate adapted to rest upon a package, holding means carried by and having relative linear movement on the said base plate for holding a strap passed around said package with its ends overlapping, a head pivotally mounted on said base plate and movable transversely to the plane of said strap ends,

said head comprising relatively movable jaws adapted to receive a seal between them when said head is in its upper position removed from said strap ends, a seal magazine mounted at one side of the path of movement of said head and adapted to contain a plurality of superimposed seals, means for effecting relative movement of said holding means of said base plate for drawing said strap taut around said package, means actuated by the operation of said last named means for moving the lowermost seal from said magazine to a position between said jaws, and means for thereafter moving said head downwardly transversely to the plane of said strap ends to position said seal carried thereby over said overlapping strap ends.

3. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, a sealing device movable transversely to said strap ends, a seal magazine mounted at one side of the path of movement of said sealing device, a plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said sealing device for feeding a seal from saidmagazine to said sealing device, said plunger having a predetermined feeding movement, means having a greater range of movement than said plunger for actuating said holding devices to draw said strap taut, and means for permitting continued operation of said last named means after said plunger has reached the limit of its movement.

4. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding a fiat strap with its ends overlapping and in contact on their flat surfaces, a sealing device movable in a plane extending transversely to the longitudinal axes of said'strap ends and transversely to the plane of the strap, a seal magazine mounted at one side of the path of movement of said sealing device, a plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said sealing device for feeding a seal from said magazine to said sealing device, a lever for actuating said plunger, means for actuating said holding means for drawing said strap taut, and means carried by said last named means for eng'afi g said lever to actuate said plunger.

5. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, a sealing device movable transversely to said strap ends, a seal magazine mounted at one side of the path of movement of said seal- .ing device, a plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said sealing device for feedinga seal from said magazine to said sealing device, a lever for actuating said plunger, means for actuating said holding means for drawing said strap taut, and means carried by said last named means for engaging said lever to actuate said plunger, said last named means comprising a resiliently mounted member adapted to pass by said lever when said punger has reached the limit of its movement.

6. The combination in strap sealing'apparatus, of means for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, a sealing device movable in a plane extending transversely to the longitudinal axes of said strap ends and transversely to the plane of the straps, a seal magazine mounted at'one side of the path of movement of said sealing device, a plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said sealing device for feeding a seal from said magazine to said sealing device, an operating lever for actuating said plunger, and a resiliently mounted member engaging said lever for restoring said plunger to its initial position after a seal has been fed by said plunger to said sealing device.

7. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, a head movable transversely to said strap ends and having a pair of relatively movable jaw a seal magazine mounted at the side of said head, a plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said head for feeding a seal from said magazine to a position between said jaws, an operating member connected to said plunger, a stretching means for drawing said strap taut around a package, and means carried by said stretching means for engaging said operating member to actuate said plunger.

8. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, a head movable transversely to said strap ends and having a pair of relatively movable jaws, a seal magazine mounted at the side of said head, a plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said head for feeding a seal from said magazine to a position between said jaws, an operating member connected to said plunger, stretching means for drawing said strap taut around a package, and a resiliently mounted member carried by said stretchin means and adapted to engage said operating member to move said plunger, said operating member having a beveled surface adapted to permit said resiliently mounted member to pass by said operating member after a predetermined movement of said plunger.

9. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, a head movable transversely to said strap ends and having a pair of relatively movable jaws, a seal magazine mounted at the side of said head, a. plunger movable transversely to the path of movement of said head for feeding a seal from said magazine to a position between said jaws, an operating member connected to said plunger, stretching means for drawing said strap taut around a package, and a resiliently mounted member carried by said stretching means and adapted to engage said operating member to move said plunger, said operating member having a beveled surface adapted to permit said resiliently mounted member to pass by said operating, member after a predetermined movement of said plunger, said operating member having another beveled surface adapted to permit the automatic movement of said resiliently mounted member past said operating member in the reverse direction.

10. The combination in a sealing device, of means for holding a'strap with its ends overlapping, a head movable transversely to said strap, a pair of jaws carried by said head and having relative movement, said jaws having parts adapted to receive a seal between them, a lever pivotally connected to each of said jaw members, andresilient means carried by said head and connected to said lever for actuating said lever to separate the seal-engaging portions of said jaw members.

11. The combination in sealing apparatus, of a sealing device, a magazine adapted to contain a stack of seals, means for moving said seals from said magazine to said sealing device, a weight slidably mounted in said magazine and resting on said seals, and a latch member carrled by said weight and normally moved into engagement with the side wall of said magazine for preventing upward movement of said weight.

12. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of a base plate adapted to rest upon a package, relatively movable holding means carried by said base plate for holding a flat strap around said package with its ends overlapping and in contact with each other, a head movable transversely to said overlapping strap ends and transversely to the plane of the strap and com.- prising relatively movable jaws, a magazine mounted at the side of the path of movement of said head for containing a plurality of superimposed seals adapted to descend by gravity as package, relatively movable holding means mounted on said base plate for holding a flat strap around said package with its ends overlapping, a head pivotally mounted on said base plate and movable transversely to the plane of said strap ends, said head comprising relatively movable jaws adapted to receive a seal between them when said seal is in its upper position removed from said strap ends, a seal magazine mounted at one side of the path of movement of said head and adapted to contain a plurality of superimposed seals adapted to move downwardly by gravity as they are successively withdrawn from the bottom of the magazine, means for efi'ecting relative movement of said holding means for drawing said strap taut around a package, means actuated by said last named means for moving the lowermost seal from said magazine to a position between said jaws, and means for thereafter moving said head downwardly to position said seal over the said overlapping strap ends and thereafter deform said seal and strap ends to provide an interlocking joint.

RALPH H. NORTON. 

